Lucchese vs. Valiente II/Tonkawa

02/09/2012, 10:00 am |

Valiente II/Tonkawa - 13, Lucchese - 12

Valiente II ran off to a 7-5 halftime lead before falling to Lucchese 13-12 after second half play.

Lucchese phenom Santi Torres scored the first goal of the game but was countered by goals from Nacho Astrada and Toto Collardin. Torres closed out the chukker by scoring the tying goal, 2-2, on a well-executed nearside neck shot.

Astrada converted a 60-yard penalty shot to open the scoring in the second period and give Valiente II a 3-2 edge. Pelon Stirling responded with a goal for Lucchese, to knot it up at 3-3. Collardin notched the last tally of the chukker for a 4-3 Valiente II lead.

Stirling scored once from the field and converted a 60-yard Safety in the third chukker but Valiente II added three more goals. Julio Gracida scored his first goal of the day from the field while Astrada scored on a penalty shot and cut the ball through the goalposts to end the chukker. Valiente II left the field at the end of the first half with a 7-5 advantage.

Fourth period scores from Cote Zegers (substituting for the injured Andres Weisz) and Stirling tied the game at 7-7. A second goal from Stirling had Lucchese ahead, 8-7 before Valiente stormed back. Astrada scored on a deep cut shot through the goalposts while Julio Gracida converted a penalty shot, taking a 9-8 lead as the chukker ended.

Shutout defense and another pair of goals from Stirling (one on a penalty shot and one from the field) in the fifth chukker had Lucchese in the lead with just one chukker left in regulation time. Stirling scored the first goal on a 60-yard penalty shot and added the second from the ensuing throw-in to lead, 10-9.

Collardin tied it at 10-10 in the sixth chukker with his third goal of the game. Torres answered back with a go ahead goal for Lucchese, 11-10. Gracida had it all even at 11-11 following a penalty conversion for a goal. Goals from Stirling and Zegers extended the Lucchese lead to two goals, 13-11 with time running out. Astrada scored the final goal of the game, but time expired, and Lucchese (2-0) celebrated the 31-12 win over Valiente II (0-2).

Stirling held scoring honors with eight goals (four on penalty shots). Torres scored three times. Zegers accounted for two goals in the win.

Astrada set the pace for Valiente II with six goals. Gracida and Collardin added three goals apiece in the loss.